Apparatus for removing the pits from cherries and other fruits



M. D. SKINNER. APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE PITS FROM CHERRIES AND OTHERFRUITS. APPLICATION man SEPT. 21, 1919.

1 ,368,68O Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET L 'M Ara/W M. n. SKINNER. APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE PITSFROM CHERRIES AND OTHER FRUITS.

v APPLICATIONH LED SEPT. 27, I919. 1,363,680.,

I M. D. SKINNER. APPARATUS FOR REMOVING THE PITS FROM CHERRIES AND OTHERFRUITS.

I APPLICATlON FILED SEPT. 27, I919- 1,863,680, Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Application filed September 2?, 1919.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, MILTON DOUGLAS Snrnnnn, of Port Credit, in thecounty of Peel and Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in an Apparatus for Bemoving the Pits from Cherries and other Fruits; and I hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to an apparatus for removing the pits fromcherries and other fruits without destroying the texture of the flesh,and it consists essentially of a reciprocating punch, an intermittentlyrotating feed wheel for delivering the fruit to the punch, and operablemeans actuating the punch and causing the intermittent rotation of thefeed wheel, a suitable housing being provided for the feed wheel and thereciprocating punch, as hereinafter set forth and particularly pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1, is a sectional elevation of the apparatus,

1 2, is an elevation of the apparatus looking at the opposite side toFig. 1,

Fig. 3, is a sectional elevational view of the apparatus at right anglesto Fig. 2,

Fig. l, is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the timing wheel and itsrelated parts omitted.

Fig. 5, is a detail view of the punch, ejector and crank shaft,

Fig. 6, is a detail view showing an eccentric shaft for operating thepunch, and

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the locking washer,

Fig. 8, is a fragmentary section of the housing showing the ejectionaperture for the pit and the means for removing it from the pun'h. and

Flo. is a fragmentary elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 8.

The essential parts of this apparatus are the reciprocating punch, theintermittently rotating feed wheel and operable means for actuating thepunch and causing the intern'iittent rotation of the feed wheel.

The feed wheel shown in Fig. 1, consists of a hub 72, and a set of arms7), radiating from the hub, to receive in the intervals be tween themthe fruit to be carried to the punch.

Inclosing the feed is a hollow housing 0 of such shape and dimensions asto provide "DOUGLAS EIEILTNER, 0F GREDZ'T, OILITAEEO, CANADA.

FRQM GENE/REES AND Gil-THEE FRUIT.

Specification of Letters Eatent. Pat- 511 54351 28,

Serial H0. 327,003.

for the free revolution of the feed wheel and its load, this housingforming part of the irame l of the apparatus.

A. convenient form of housing is that shown in the drawings whichcomprise a vertical side 0, a curved side 0 opposed to the vertical side0 and two end sides 0 the are of the curved side being concentric withthe feed wheel and its radius being slightly greater than that of theradial arms Z).

At the top of the housing is a hop )er (Z to contain the fruit andformed througi the bottom of the hopper is a gateway c for the passageof the fruit from the hopper to the interior of the housing, thedimensions of the gateway being sutticient to permit the fruit passingtherethrough in single numhe only.

For the rotation of the feed wheel, its hub 79 is provided with journalsf mounted in bearings c in the sides 0 of the housing, beyond one ofwhich the corresponding journal f extends, and keyed or otherwisesecured on this journal exteriorly of the hous- .ing is a timino; wheelhaving a set of arms 9'. corresponding in number and location with tlteradial arms 7) of the feed wheel.

During the rotation of the feed wheel the intervals between the arms 5successively come into line with the gatenay c, to receive and carry thefruit forward to the position, where the pit is removed, which in thiscase is at the bottom of the vertical axis of the feed wheel, the radialarms being preferably of a width corresponding to the lateral distancebetween the sides 0 of the housing and of such length with regard to thediameter of the curved side 0", as to prevent the dis placement of thefruit in a circumterentml direction, the sides a preventing itsdisplacement in a lateral direction.

in line with the position where the pit is pressed out is areciprocating punch ii, which moves transversely through the housing andthe intervals between the radial arms when they arrive this position.

'lo maintain the reciprocating movement of the punch in a fixed path theframe Z is provided with a guideway 2', of corresponding cross sectionalshape and dimensions to the punch.

A shaft y is mounted in bearings in the frame Z, and is provided withmeans for reciprocating the punch which means as shown in 5, may consistof a crank or connected by a linlr 0, with the punch 71, or as shown inFigs. 1, 3 and 6, may consist of an eccentric 0, operating in aneccentric strap 0 to which the punch is connected, or may consist ofother suitable mechanical elements wit'hin'the scope ofthe claims, whichwill impart a reciprocating movement to the punch.

Formed through the housing in line with the punch are apertures 22, p ofcorresponding diameter to the punch, and in the peripheral surface ofthe punch h are axial grooves h. Secured to the side 0 of the housingremote from the shaft j are spring dogs 79, the free ends of which enterthese grooves.

Fixed on the shaft j is a crank j, or other suitable device for causingits revolution and attached to the crank j is an arm j having a collar jthe axis of which is parallel with that of the shaft j, which at eachrevolution of this shaft comes into line with one of the arms g of thetiming wheel 9.

inserted through the collar j is a timing rod 9 held by a set screw g,which permits of the lengthwise adjustments of the rod 9 to the timingwheel, so that it will engage one of its arms on each revolution of theshaft The frame Z is shown to be provided with a clamp r by which it maybe secured to a table or bench but instead of the clamp the frame may beprovided with a suitable base when the apparatus is constructed forpower purposes.

The fruit for instance, cherries, are deposited in the hopper d anddescend one a time through the gateway 6 into the housing 0, and enterthe intervals between adjacent arms 6, when the intervals come into linewith the gateway. The revolution of the feed wheel carries the fruit inthe direction indicated by arrow in Fig 1, to the position where thepits are removed, the radial arms 6 of the feed wheel and the curvedside 0 of the housing preventing the displacement of the fruit in acircumferential direction and the sides 0 preventing its displacement ina lateral direction.

The revolution of shaft 7' imparts the reciprocating movement to thepunch h, causing it to pass through the apertures p, 79 in the housingand through the fruit which at the time being is at the position wherethe pit is removed, the punch then pressing the pit from the fruit andforcing it through the aperture 10 in the side 0 remote from the shaft7', the inner surface of this aperture 79 being beveled to facilitatethe passage of the pit therethrough.

During the outward movement of the punch with the pit through theaperture 32 the dogs 1? spring outward to clear the pit, and then springback to their normal position to reenter the grooves so that during thereturn of the punch they will engage the pit, should it adhere to thepunch, and separate it from the punch before the punch is retractedwithin the housing, thus clearing the punch for its next operation.

During the reciprocating movement of the punch the pit is pressed fromthe fruit, forced through the aperture 32 in the side 0 of the housing,and then separated from the punch during its reverse movement by thedogs 79.

When the punch has been retracted to its starting position the timingrod -engages one of the arms g of the timing wheel 9, and rotates it adistance equal to the subdivision of the circle of revolutionrepresented by that arm, the punch in its starting position being clearof the feed wheel for the rotation of the latter.

The timing wheel shown in Fig. 2, is provided with six arms g, and thefeed wheel shown in F ig. 1, is provided with six radial armscorresponding in location with the arms of the timing wheel.

As both the timing wheel and feed wheel are fixed on the axle or ournalf the partial revolution of the timing wheel imparts at each revolutionof the shaft 7', a corresponding movement to the feed wheel, equal inthis case to one-sixth of the complete circle of rotation. This causesthe intermittent rotation of the feed wheel to bring the intervalsbetween each adjacent pair of spokes successively into line with thegateway to receive the fruit, and then to bring the fruit into line withthe punch, which when actuated, presses the pit from it.

When the punch has pressed the pit out of the fruit and has been againretracted to its normal position, the feed wheel continues itsintermittent rotation and brings the fruit to the ejecting positionwhere it passes out of the ejector opening or gateway m in the housing,the ejectment being effected by a reciprocating ejector y connected by alink 3/ with a crank e on the shaft To prevent the feed wheelinadvertently moving past the position where the pit is removed, thehousing is provided with a stationary lock u having a corrugated orgrooved face a, and the journal f is formed with a flattened surface '0,adjacent to the lock, and a washer v, slidable lengthwise of thejournal, is mounted thereon, this washer having projections o" to enterthe grooves or corrugations in the lock 10. Encircling the journal 7 isa spring '0 bearing against the timing wheel and against the washer 1)t0 yieldingly press this washer into engagement with the look a, for theentry of the projections into the corrugations.

Nhen the timing wheel and journal f are turned for the step by steprotation of the feed wheel, the spring yieldssufficiently to allow thewasher c to move lengthwise on the shaft for the projections o to clearthe grooves or corrugations in the 100k u, but without moving them outof contact with the lock it, so that when the turning power is removedthe projections will enter the corrugations or grooves opposed to themand arrest the further revolution of the feed wheel, and hold it untilthe timing wheel is again rotated.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. r-in apparatus for removing pits from fruit, comprising a housinga'nd a hopper for containing the fruit to be pitted, a feed wheeljournaled in the housing adapted to carry the fruit from the hopper tothe pitting position, journals for the feed wheel, one of which extendsbeyond the housing, a timing wheel mounted on said journal, a punchoperable through the housing transversely to the direction of rotationof the feed wheel, a rotatable shaft, means transmitting motion from theshaft to the punch, an arm rotatable with the shaft and a timing rodcarried by said arm to rotate, step by step, the timing and feed wheels.

2. run apparatus for removing pits from fruit, comprising a housing anda hopper for containing the fruit to be pitted, a feed wheel journaledin the housing adapted to carry the fruit from the hopper to the pittingposition, ournals for the feed wheel, one of which extends beyond thehousing, a timing wheel mounted on said journal, a punch ope "ablethrough the housing transversely to the direction of rotation of thefeed wheel, a rotatable shaft, means transmitting motion from the shaftto the punch, an arm rotatable with the shaft and an ejector for thepitted fruit actuated by the shaft.

8. An apparatus for removing pits from fruit, comprising, a housing,feed means intermittently rotatable therein, reciprocating means forpressing the pits from the fruit movable transversely through thehousing and feed means, and means actuating the reciprocating means andimparting intermittent rotation to the feed means to advance the fruitstep by step to the reciprocating means, and means for removing the pitfrom the reciprocating means 011 its return movement.

4. An apparatus for removing pits from fruit, comprising, a housing,feed means intermittently rotatable therein, a reciprocating punch forpressing the pits from the fruit movable transversely through thehousing and feed means, and means actuating the punch and impartingintermittent rota ion to the feed means to advance the fruit step bystep to the punch, the peripheral surface of the punch being axiallygrooved, and means entered in said grooves for removing the pits fromthe punch.

5. An apparatus for removing pits from fruit, comprising, a housing,feed means intermittently rotatable therein, a reciprocating punch forpressing the pits from the fruit movable transversely through thehousing and feed means, and means actuating' the punch and impartingintermittent rotation to the feed means to advance the fruit step bystep to the punch, the peripheral surface of the punch being axiallygrooved, and means entered in said grooves for removing the pit from thepunch, said means consisting of spring dogs secured to the housing.

Toronto, Ontario, August 28th, 1919.

MILTON DOUGLAS SKINNER.

Signed in the presence of CHAS. H. lxronns,

J. Grnorrnrs'r.

